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“Man, I’ve been in the league for a while, and that [trip to Sloevnia] was my first time doing something like that. Going to somebody’s country, and bringing us out there, and spending that much time together. I never did that before,” Looney said of Dončić during a recent interview with ESPN Radio’s “Mason & Ireland” podcast. “That just shows his character, shows that he really wants to win. He wants the people to know his background and why he is how he is. And I think he did a good job of that,” Looney added. “He’s a great player and a great leader. He likes to show what he can do on the court, and then we got to see his personality off the court. So it was great. We’re going to follow him and run through a wall for him,” Looney concluded.
"What have you noticed about Luka as a leader in terms of getting you guys together on the same page?" Kevon Looney: "I've been in the league for a while and that was my first time doing something like that, to go into somebody's country and bring us all out there and spend that much time together. That's I never did that before. So that just shows his character, showing that he really wants to win, he wants people to know his background, why he is how he is and I think we did a good job of that. He's a great player and a great leader and he likes to show what he can do on the court and we got to see his personality off the court, so it was great."
Kevon Looney grew up in Wisconsin, but that did not stop him from loving Bryant growing up. In fact, the new Lakers big man said that Bryant influenced him to love the game of basketball as he would watch him on TV and then go out in the backyard to practice afterwards. “Some of my earliest memories of watching basketball was watching the Finals, Lakers vs. Philly,” Looney said in a Getting to Know segment on Lakers YouTube. “Watching Kobe play then going in the back yard and emulating Kobe and trying everything that he used to do on the court. He was my favorite player. He’s still my favorite player so he kinda influenced me to love the game of basketball.”
It might seem surprising to many that Kevon Looney was emulating Kobe Bryant as a young player as he is now known as a physical big man who thrives on the offensive glass. But as one of the top prospects in high school, Looney was actually a do-it-all forward and it was wanting to be like Bryant that pushed him to develop his skills across the board. “Like I said, Kobe was my guy and he was somebody that competed on both ends,” Looney added. “I wanted to be him and so I played a little bit of everything. I brought the ball up the court, I could post up, block shots. Whatever I needed to do to win that’s what I would do and it got me to the NBA.”
Looney has spent many years trying to contain Doncic as a defender and it is something he is happy to not have to do this season. The Lakers center made it clear that he is very excited to be able to team with the superstar guard as opposed to trying to defend him. “Playing against him sucks, especially being a big man,” Looney said on Mason & Ireland on ESPN LA Radio. “You’re in a lot of pick-and-rolls, you’re getting iso’d, he picks on people and you gotta guard him 1-on-1 and he’s probably the toughest guy to guard 1-on-1 in the league. Got to compete against him on the Lakers and in the playoffs when he was in Dallas. “I’m excited to be on his team, be able to learn from him, be able to play pick-and-roll with him. He’s probably the best pick-and-roll player in the league so being able to learn how he wants me to set screens and different things like that I’m excited about it. He’s one of the best guys in the league and it makes my life a lot easier playing with him so I’m super excited.”
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Kevon Looney: "Being a free agent this year, I didn't know what was going to happen. There were a lot of moving parts this offseason with a lot of teams. Once the Lakers made a few moves and they had a need for a center, this was my top destination and I was able to make it happen. I am super excited."
Kevon Looney: "Having Nick Young as a cousin has been awesome. I got to win a championship with him in Golden State. When I was a kid, he used to send me a bunch of shoes and clothes, so I used to be the freshest kid in high school and middle school because of Nick. Shout out to cuz, he made sure I always was good and being able to share the court with him was always great."
Dave McMenamin: ‘Between now and the start of the regular season, they could carry 16 players, they carry up to 20 through training camp, but through now to the start of the regular season, you got to get rid of a player. Whether that's going to be continuing to try to move someone like Jarred Vanderbilt or Dalton Knecht, that they've not had success with thus far, and they've quite frankly tried for a while here, or could it be someone like Jaden Hardy who was picked up in the Deandre Ayton deal that was really more about trying to get some draft assets from Washington and move off of Ayton to make room for your new centers with Kevon Looney and Walker Kessler than it was about necessarily Hardy. That's one thing that absolutely has to happen. So that means their work's not done.’
The Lakers are still monitoring the market for big men, team sources told The Athletic. They traded for Walker Kessler and signed Kevon Looney to play center, and Sandro Mamukelashvili can play the position, too. The team could address the position either by trade or signing, like with potentially adding Matisse Thybulle. The roster is currently at full capacity.
How did this deal come to be? Looney: “I knew I was going to be a free agent. I looked at the landscape of free agency and where there was an opportunity where I could play. A few teams called looking for a backup big. LA is a place that I come to all the time. I’m here a lot of the times. I got a lot of friends and family. So to have the opportunity to join the Lakers, I couldn’t turn that down.”
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What is the key to be able to get Luka and Austin open looks with your screens? Kevon Looney: “For Austin, I can set the screens on the ball and off the ball for him. On the pick-and-roll, I can get the angles for them. They’re both scoring guards. So I can hold my screens. That should relieve them some pressure so they can get a clean look. That’s something that I specialize at. So I’m super excited to do it for those guys. Luka is a pick-and-roll master. He’s probably the best in the league at it with finding angles and manipulating the defense. I want to pick his mind and learn from him and how he wants his screens set. With talking with those guys, I’m excited about that part, too. Every time I go to a new team or play with a new guard, I ask them how he likes to play. That’s always the fun part.”
Benjamin Royer: Lakers officially share that they’ve signed Kevon Looney. He will wear No. 55. That’s the last of the already agreed-upon deals the Lakers have made that still needed to be announced.
How did this deal come to be? Kevon Looney: “I knew I was going to be a free agent. I looked at the landscape of free agency and where there was an opportunity where I could play. A few teams called looking for a backup big. LA is a place that I come to all the time. I’m here a lot of the times. I got a lot of friends and family. So to have the opportunity to join the Lakers, I couldn’t turn that down.”
